Thank You
by Elise Lowing
Summary: Toothless the Night Fury still carries the scars of what he did at the Dragon Sanctuary. While Hiccup and Valka have forgiven him, he still can't shake the regret. All he wants now is forgiveness from Stoick, the one who took his fatal shot.


**Thank You**

**We know that Hiccup has forgiven Toothless for what happened at the Dragon Sanctuary, as for what happened to Stoick wasn't Toothless' fault. However, I always wondered how Toothless would still cope with the situation. He has the forgiveness of Hiccup and Valka, but that still leaves Stoick.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own "How to Train Your Dragon", I am merely exploring a possible story.**

**With that said, let's begin!**

* * *

**Toothless the Night Fury is still carries the scars of what he did at the Dragon Sanctuary. While Hiccup and Valka have forgiven him, he still can't shake the regret. All he wants now is forgiveness from Stoick, the one who took his fatal shot.**

* * *

"What's it's going to take, Toothless?" a crimson Stormcutter named Cloudjumper asked.

"I don't know." Toothless the Night Fury replied solemnly.

The two dragons were sitting side-by-side on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the vast, sparkling ocean that glistened in the sun's setting rays. They had been there for a while, just staring out over the sea. Their human companions were at some kind of meeting up Berk's Great Hall, so the two dragons had no choice but to patiently wait for their riders to return.

However their conversation wasn't very lively at the moment. In fact, it was very solemn, as it was on a certain subject that Toothless couldn't get out of his mind no matter how hard he tried.

It was a memory that haunted him wherever he went.

* * *

_Several suns ago, on an island in the frozen north known as the Dragon Sanctuary, Toothless the Night Fury was brainwashed by an enormous dragon known as the Bewilderbeast. The creature himself was under the command of a horrible man known as Drago Bludvist. That dragon somehow took hold over Toothless and forced him to turn on his rider, Hiccup._

_Just as Toothless was about to kill Hiccup with a plasma blast, the boy's father, Stoick the Vast, leapt out of nowhere and took the blow, sacrificing his life for his son._

_It wasn't until the Bewilderbeast released Toothless from his mind control that the Night Fury realized what happened. When he saw what he had done, he instantly felt a deep sense of regret bang in his heart._

_What made it worse was the way that Hiccup looked at him when Toothless approached the body of Stoick to apologize. The young man's eyes blazed with grief and anger as he yelled at Toothless to go away. It was the most painful thing the Night Fury had ever experienced in his life. Although he had no physical pain, the eyes of his best friend were like daggers in that very moment, stabbing him repeatedly in his heart._

_For one horrible moment, Toothless feared that the bond he and Hiccup had forged over the years had been broken in that instance._

_Still, by some miracle, Hiccup came back for Toothless. And like an answer to a prayer, he gave the dragon the one thing he couldn't even hope to ask for: forgiveness._

* * *

"I still can't believe he came back for me." Toothless said in a low voice, looking out over the sea. "After what I did."

"I've told you before, Toothless," Cloudjumper turned his head toward the new Alpha dragon, "that was the Bewilderbeast's doing, not yours."

"I know," the Night Fury frowned, "but I can't…I just can't seem to heal these scars."

The Stormcutter dragon let out a deep sigh and gazed back out over the ocean, his face very solemn. "It's possible you never will. I wish I could say that they will, but the heart is hard to heal. And some wounds never heal at all. I…know what that's like."

Toothless gave a sad glance to Cloudjumper. He knew that he was talking about the first Alpha Bewilderbeast; the one who made the Dragon Sanctuary and took care of all the dragons that dwelled there. During the battle with Drago on that horrible day, he was struck down by the Drago's Bewilderbeast.

Cloudjumper had known the Alpha Bewilderbeast for most of his life, and regarded him as something of a father. But now, that great dragon was gone forever. Although Cloudjumper didn't show it too much, he did deeply miss the gently giant.

"I'm sorry, Cloudjumper." Toothless whispered. "I know he meant a lot to you."

Cloudjumper gave a weak nod. He then turned to look back at Toothless.

"I'm sorry there's not much I can do for you," he said. "I can tell you not to blame yourself, but that's not enough, is it?"

Toothless shook his head. It wasn't enough.

As much as others tried to tell Toothless that Stoick's death wasn't his fault, he just couldn't bring himself to believe it. He kept thinking of what could've happened if he had only resisted the Bewilderbeast's control more. Would he have been able to save Hiccup so Stoick didn't have to die? Would he have been able to unleash his "Alpha Mode" like he did when Berk was attacked and the Bewilderbeast tried to kill Hiccup? Would he have prevented Dragon and the Bewilderbeast from attacking Berk in the first place?

But all those "could've beens" meant nothing. The fact was that Stoick was gone, and Toothless felt responsible for it, regardless of what the others told him about the incident not being his fault.

At this point, he didn't know what it would take for him to finally let it all go and move on.

* * *

_That night…_

_"Toothless…Toothless…"_

The Night Fury softly groaned when he heard someone faintly call out his name and slowly opened his heavy eyelids.

"What is it, Hiccup?" he asked groggily.

Although Toothless knew that Hiccup couldn't understand his dragon language, he still asked his human the question nonetheless.

However, as he lifted his head and looked over to Hiccup's bed, he was surprised to see that Hiccup was fast asleep. Toothless could tell he was sleeping soundly, not just by the fact his eyes were closed, but also by the way he was breathing. Hiccup's chest gently rose and fell with each breath took in smooth, rhythmic fashion.

Toothless stared at Hiccup with confusion for a moment. He was sure that he heard someone call his name. Was it Hiccup talking in his sleep? No, Hiccup wasn't given to talking in his sleep.

_"Toothless."_

Toothless jerked his head up and his ear-like appendages stood up on end as he tried to locate the source of the voice.

Was it Valka? No, it couldn't be. The voice was way too deep to belong to a woman.

Cloudjumper? No, the voice was a little too gruff compared to Cloudjumper's noble accent.

Then…who was it?

_"Toothless."_

Toothless turned his head to the window above Hiccup's bed. It sounded like the voice was coming from outside.

Being careful not to wake up Hiccup, Toothless leapt up to the window silently landed on the ground outside. He then scanned the area for the source of the voice. He didn't see anything unusual. The night was rather still, almost peaceful. There didn't seem to be a single human or dragon in sight. While there was a slight breeze, it wasn't strong enough to create the illusion of a voice.

"Maybe I was just hearing things." Toothless sighed heavily.

However, just as Toothless was about to turn and go back inside the house, the voice called to him again, this time a little strong than before.

_"Toothless."_

Toothless turned in the direction it came from and saw something he didn't expect to see.

On the edge of the forest was a small, glowing blue object that looked as if it was a tiny flame.

Curious, the Night Fury slowly approached it. As he got closer, he got a better look at its features. It looked like a little person with a ridiculously big head, a small body with no legs, and two little arms that seemed to be beckoning to Toothless, as if it wanted him to come closer.

When Toothless got within three feet of it, his eyes widened in surprise when he realized what it was.

It was a wisp, a guider of fate.

Toothless had only heard stories about these little things, but had never actually seen one personally. In fact, for the longest time, he thought they were nothing more than just characters in a fantasy story. He had a hard time believing that this ball of blue flame was really a wisp.

Toothless reached out a paw to touch the specter, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. However, as soon as it disappeared, Toothless looked up to see a whole trail of them leading into the forest. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, wondering if he should follow these wisps, or just turn around and walk away.

He had heard in stories that wisps were guiders of fate, but they weren't always fond of whomever they were guiding. They could either guide an individual to great fortune, or to a horrible death.

Toothless wasn't afraid of death, but he was concerned about how Hiccup would be if they young man realized that his best friend had mysteriously gone missing and never returned. Not wanting to worry his precious rider, Toothless turned around to go back.

However, the mysterious voice stopped him in his tracks.

_"Toothless."_

Toothless jerked his head around to see where the voice was coming from. He realized that it was coming from wherever the wisps were trying to lead him.

Toothless hesitated for a second before turning his head back around to look at Hiccup's house.

"Don't worry, Hiccup," he whispered. "I'll be right back."

Finally, after taking a large breath of air, Toothless began to slowly follow the trail of wisps to wherever they would lead him. He didn't know if they were leading him to good fortune or to a horrible death, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to get a moment's peace if he didn't find out.

Besides, even if they were leading him to a potential death, he wasn't going to let that stop him. He was a Night Fury, not to mention the Alpha dragon. No doubt he would be able to take on whatever danger these little blue ghosts had in mind for him.

At least he hoped he could.

* * *

Toothless continued to follow the trail of wisps through the dark forest. The line itself consisted of about six wisps. Every time the Night Fury got closer to the one in front, it would vanish and a new one would appear at the end of the trail.

It must had been a few minutes before Toothless upon an area that looked vaguely familiar. He looked up at a tree that had been split in half, with one half bent over to the ground. From exposure to the elements over the years, the inside of the tree began to show moss and the wood was decaying a bit.

On the ground was deep trench as if a large boulder rolled through it, leaving its indentation in the ground. It led to a small slope that slanted downward into a small clearing.

When he reached the top of the slope, Toothless stopped and stared at the glen below. He knew this place.

This was the spot where he first met Hiccup. This was the spot where their fates became intertwined.

Toothless blinked a few times as those memories from the distant past suddenly came drifting back to him. He remembered how Hiccup had found him all tied up. He remembered that Hiccup almost decided to kill him. But instead, the Viking set Toothless free.

Toothless the then shuddered when he remembered that he almost killed Hiccup the moment he was cut free from that bola trap. It was only at the last second that he decided to spare the boy. Still, just thinking about what he had almost done was enough to send a shiver down Toothless' spine and through his wings.

Toothless shook off the memory and looked back up. The wisps continued through the forest. As he followed them, a small seed of suspicion began to grow in his mind. By the way they were heading, Toothless beginning to wonder if they were leading him toward the cove.

As it turned out, they were.

When Toothless reached the ledge that would drop off into the secluded area below, he stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head to look at his back. He didn't have his saddle on. He remembered that Hiccup had taken it off before he went to bed so he could do some repairs on it the next day. This left him with only one tail fin.

Without Hiccup and his saddle, Toothless wouldn't be able to get out of the cove.

Realizing the situation, Toothless started to wonder if following these wisps was really worth it anymore. Once he was down there, he didn't have much chance of getting back out. He would have to wait for Hiccup or another dragon to come and help him out.

Maybe this whole quest wasn't really worth it. Toothless didn't really care about seeking fortune, and he certainly didn't want a horrible death. He was about to turn around and head back when that mysterious voice called out to him again, this time much stronger as if it was directly over Toothless' shoulder.

_"Toothless!"_

Suddenly, Toothless skidded. His foot slipped on the smooth rock and he began to fall down towards the cove. Although he tried to save himself by digging his claws into the stony wall as deep as they could go, his weight dragged him down and fell right into pile of tree branches with a painful "CRASH".

"Ow!" Toothless growled, his body twisting in agony.

When the pain had subsided a bit, Toothless sat up and shook his head. He then turned to look back up at the place he fell from.

"Oh, great," he grumbled.

The ledge was too high for the Night Fury to leap back onto. He was stuck in the cove like he was five years ago.

_"Toothless!"_

Toothless snapped his head around in the direction the voice came from. This time, he was sure that the voice sounded familiar to him now. He got up and walked out of the pile of branches toward the place where he was sure the voice was coming from. It was a small cave on the opposite side of the cove, just around the small pond. Growing over the cave was a large tree that rested up against the rock wall and stretched all the way up to the sky.

As Toothless drew closer to the cave, he began to notice that there was something dimly glowing in there. Was it a campfire? But what would anyone be doing down here?

"Hello?" Toothless called out. "Is anybody there?"

Toothless was about to get his answer.

Someone stepped out of the cave.

And when Toothless saw who it was, his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and he backed away in fear.

It was a large man. He had green eyes and a large reddish beard that was decorated in traditional Viking braids. He wore a brown fur tunic with a thick brown cape draping from his shoulders. On his head was a helmet with large horns that were curved at the end. He wore a belt with a metal belt-buckle that had the carving of a dragon on it. And on his feet he wore thick boots.

The man stepped out of the cave, and looked at Toothless.

"Toothless," he said in calm voice.

"S-Stoick?!" the Night Fury gasped.

But that impossible! It couldn't be! Toothless had shot Stoick and killed him back at the Dragon Sanctuary! He couldn't be alive!

However, as Toothless stared in shock, he noticed something that made his heart beat hard and fast. Stoick was transparent and was glowing just a bit.

That could only mean that this was Stoick's _spirit_!

Toothless had often heard stories in which dragons saw visions of others from their past. And in those stories, either one of two things occurred. The spirit had something important to tell the one they had appeared to, or the spirit was vengeful and had come to settle the score.

While Toothless was a very fearless dragon, he couldn't help but tremble in terror. He had no chance against a spirit.

Those wisps had led Toothless to his death!

At least, that's what Toothless thought.

But maybe there was still a chance to escape.

As Stoick walked forward toward the Night Fury, Toothless immediately turned around and ran away as fast as he could. He didn't even look back to see where that ghost was. When he reached the stone wall, he leapt up and flapped his wings, hoping to get just enough altitude so he could grab hold of a ledge and pull himself out of the cove. However, the ledges were too high, and without Hiccup on his back with that specially made saddle, Toothless couldn't reach the top.

Finally, he missed his footing on a loose stone and crashed down back into the cove below. He landed hard on his back and winced as a small shockwave of pain rushed through his body.

Toothless leaned his head back a bit, just in time to see Stoick's ghost stop right in front of him. The Night Fury quickly scrambled over onto this front and backed himself up against the stony wall like a scared kitten. While he would've felt ashamed of showing such fear, given his status as the Alpha dragon, at the moment he didn't care.

He was trapped!

"S-Stoick!" Toothless stammered. "I know you're mad at me! But please, you have to believe me! I didn't mean to…!"

Toothless then stopped himself. Why was he even bothering begging for mercy? Stoick couldn't understand him. It was futile.

Stoick then raised his hand and reached out to Toothless. The dragon shut his eyes, waiting for something horrible to happen. By now, his heart was beating so hard he felt like it was going to explode. He didn't want to die like this. But his fate didn't rest in his hands anymore.

Or so he thought.

It was at that moment that something unexpected happened.

Toothless felt a gentle hand place itself on his head.

He opened his eyes and looked up at Stoick. To the Night Fury's utter amazement, Stoick was looking at him with a soft expression. There was no trace of anger or fury in his eyes.

"I know, Toothless," the Viking said in a deep voice.

Toothless' eyes widened with shock. "Wait, you can understand me?!"

Stoick nodded.

"But…how?!"

"I'm a spirit now," Stoick simply replied. "I am speaking to you from the depths of Valhalla."

"Really?!" Toothless gasped. "But…why?!"

The ghostly Viking looked down at the ground for a moment. "I still have some unfinished business I need to resolve with those I love."

Toothless blinked at that statement. "You mean Hiccup and Valka."

"Yes," Stoick nodded, "and you."

Toothless swallowed hard when he heard that and his heart nervously skipped a beat.

As if sensing his distress, Stoick gently rubbed Toothless' head with his hand. This made Toothless look up at the former chief of Berk.

"Toothless," Stoick calmly said, "I know what happened at the Dragon Sanctuary wasn't your fault. Even I wouldn't have been able to guess that Drago would do something as despicable as forcing you to attack Hiccup."

"But," Toothless hesitated, "when you rushed in, why didn't you…why didn't you kill me?"

"Why would I do that?" Stoick asked.

"I…" Toothless paused, "I just thought that…well…things would've been for the better if you did."

Toothless' voice lowered in sorrow as he said that and he looked away.

"No, it wouldn't have." Stoick replied, making Toothless look back up at him with surprise. "If I had done that, Hiccup would never have forgiven me. And honestly, I wouldn't have forgiven myself, knowing I took an innocent life all because they were under a mind control. Not to mention, I would have had to live with the regret of knowing I broke my son's heart."

"But his heart also broke when I…"

Toothless stopped, unable to bring himself to say anything further.

"Toothless," Stoick said, "I know you're suffering from what happened. And I am sorry about what happened, but I want you to know that I hold no grudge against you."

A strange, hopeful looked filled Toothless' eyes when Stoick spoke those words. "You…you don't?"

Stoick shook his head. His answer was honest.

"In the end," the Viking said, "you saved my son's life. For that, I am deeply grateful."

Toothless was speechless as Stoick continued in a solemn voice.

"In fact, I owe a lot to you. You gave my son something that I could never have given him. If you had never come, I wouldn't have been able to see the wonder that my son truly is. I never would've seen him grow into the man he was always meant to be. You brought the courage and strength he had always had inside of him out."

Toothless stared.

"And if it hadn't been for you," Stoick continued, "Hiccup and I never would've found Valka again. You brought our family back together."

Stoick then smiled. "You have given us so much, Toothless. That is why I can say I bear no grudge against you."

As Stoick continued to speak, his spirit slowly began to dissolve into small points of light that gently blew past Toothless as if they were fireflies on the wind.

What Stoick said next, Toothless would remember for the rest of his life.

_"I give you my forgiveness, and my gratitude. Thank you, Toothless. Thank you for being a part of our lives. Thank you for saving my son. Thank you. Thank you."_

* * *

"TOOTHLESS!"

Toothless groaned and slowly opened his eyes when he heard the sound of someone calling his name. As he slowly began to wake up, he felt like something inside him was different. He felt like his heart was lighter than it had ever been in a long time. It was like a huge weight that had been pulling it down had been taken away.

It was then that Toothless heard the sound of someone running towards him. He immediately knew who it was the moment he heard a clank and squeak mixed in with the foot beats.

Hiccup.

Toothless slowly turned his head in time to see Hiccup run up to his side and kneel down to his level. When Hiccup saw that the Night Fury had opened his eyes and moved his head, he was deeply relieved. He threw his arms around Toothless' neck, and Toothless nudged Hiccup's face.

"Toothless," Hiccup exhaled. "Are you okay? What are you doing all the way out here?"

Toothless blinked. The last remembered from last night was Stoick's spirit fading away in the wind. He looked around the cove with a dazed expression. He must've fallen asleep the moment Stoick's spirit left him. Although his first thought would've been that it was all a dream, and that he had just sleep-walked into the cove, he knew in his heart of hearts that it wasn't dream. He knew that what he experienced last night was very much real.

"Is Toothless alright?" a woman's voice asked.

Toothless looked over to see Valka running up towards him and her son, Hiccup. Following close behind her was Cloudjumper.

"I think so." Hiccup replied to his mother. "He just a little dazed."

Cloudjumper looked at Toothless and said in the tongue of a dragon, "Are you alright, Toothless?"

"Yes," Toothless nodded. "In fact, I'm better than alright."

Cloudjumper cocked his head in curiosity and one of his eyes blinked.

"C'mon, bud," Hiccup said, rubbing the Night Fury's back. "Let's get you back home."

Toothless looked at his human companion and nodded. The Night Fury then slowly stood up and with the help of Cloudjumper, he and the humans left the cove and headed back to Berk.

As they walked along, Toothless looked back over his shoulder and smiled.

_"You're welcome, Stoick,"_ he humbly said to himself. _"And thank you for setting me free at last. I promise I will protect Hiccup and Valka for as long as I can. Thank you, Stoick. And good-bye."_

* * *

**Whew, this was a long one. But it had to be done.**

**And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I got the inspiration of the wisps from "Brave". I needed something to help guide Toothless to the cove, and wisps seemed to be the best idea.**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this story.**

**Have a Good Day!**


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